An Endless Sunset
by xEndlessStarlightx
Summary: This is a combination twist with Disney's The Little Mermaid and Hans Christian Andersen's original tale. A letter arrives to the castle in Denmark to arrange a betrothal between Prince Eric and a distant princess from another kingdom. Time is running out as he only has four days to find the girl who saved him in the storm, and a happy ending is always uncertain.
1. Chapter 1

Ariel slowly swam nearer to the dark cavern of Ursula's lair, rays of burning smoke surrounding the grounds around her.

"I'm not so sure about this..." she said to herself, preparing to turn back.

But Ursula's powers were never something to be taken lightly. In that very moment, she summoned a nearby iridescent pearl on the sea floor. Glistening bright rays of a silvery light immediately emanated from the small stone, and Ariel suddenly heard Eric's voice.

"Eric?" She said as she turned back around, confused.

Ariel swam closer to the light, looking into the reflection of the platinum stone. Eric was in the great hall of his castle speaking to his manservant, Grimsby.

"I'm tellin' you, Grim, she was real! I'm gonna find that girl!" He leaned against the window, a determined look enveloping his face. "And I'm gonna marry her."

The little mermaid's heart froze completely still in shock. Hidden away quietly in her lair, the vile sea witch smiled happily to herself in triumph, knowing that she would soon be granted what she desired. And within an instant, the little mermaid's brows arched downward in determination. Fearless and ready, she confidently swam into the cavern.

"...You have very little time left, Eric," Grimsby said as Ariel swam off, not hearing this last part. "You'd do well to remember the letter that arrived from Norway a fortnight ago concerning your betrothal. If this mystery maiden of yours is not found by the time the sun goes down the day she arrives, you will wed Princess Amaryllis."

* * *

Death surrounded Ariel throughout the entire cave as she continued onward. But for each and every moment that she felt any ounce of fear, it only made her extra determined.

Dark, terrifying skeletons inlaid the floors of the cavern. And the current was strong, accompanied with the deadliest poisonous fish in the entire ocean. But they were each cast under a spell by no other than the sea witch herself, forbidden to inflict any harm on the princess.

"The legends were true..." Ariel whispered, continuing to swim farther into the darkness.

As she finally ascended to the entranceway of a single room in the cave, she paused. The black amethyst door was intriguing as it was decorated solely with only the darkest of magic, and shimmering black seashells from the ocean floor.

Ariel took one last final breath for courage before raising her hand to the door, softly knocking on the iron structure exactly three times.

"Come in, my child," said a voice from the nearby distance.

The little mermaid cautiously opened the door and slowly swam inside.

"Hello?" Ariel said, as she looked all around the cave, seeing no sign of life. "Is anyone there?"

"Look into the mirror, my dear," the quiet, sinister voice called out. "And show me what it is you truly desire."

Ariel did as she was told, swimming closer to the looking glass within her view, her fiery red hair swirling all around in the currents as she leaned in.

A vision of Ariel in Eric's arms on the seashore suddenly appeared upon the mirror's reflection. He was smiling so passionately down at her as the sun began to set. Slowly, he leaned in closer, gently resting his hand on her pale cheek and drawing her near to give her a soft, sweet kiss. The ethereal sunset behind them shimmered beautifully across the ocean's reflection as they reveled in that quiet moment.

"I love you, Ariel," Eric whispered to her as the kiss broke, still holding her close to him in a protective embrace.

And as the vision in the mirror slowly faded away, the little mermaid lowered her eyes to the floor with a look of despair.

"But it's not possible..."

Suddenly, a dark figure began to emerge from the distance. Her long, platinum hair swirled gracefully down her back in the silent winds of the sea, and her silver eyes gave off a calm yet penetrating gaze. Ursula.

"Anything is possible my dear, sweet child," the sea witch spoke as she glided nearer to Ariel, mockingly stroking the strands of her red hair in a comforting way.

There were very few tales that reached Atlantica over what the sea witch looked like. Some who escaped described her as having an unpleasant, repulsive appearance. Others claimed she possessed the beauty of the mythical goddess, Eris. For Ariel, Ursula resembled a strong likeness with the black-hearted goddess.

"But be warned, my dear — this spell of yours that you seek to become human will not be an easy endeavor."

"I don't understand..."

"The pain of this particular transformation will feel like death," Ursula spoke softly, laughing sadistically in her mind. "Once you are human, every single step that you take on land will make you feel as if you are walking on broken glass."

"I'm not afraid," Ariel said with a touch of uncertainty.

The sea witch sneered happily, "There is, also, a very steep price for this spell —"

"Please, I'll give you whatever you want," Ariel interrupted.

Ursula smiled to herself, ' _This is just too easy_.'

"What I want from you is," the sea witch started. "...Your voice."

The little mermaid gasped so softly it sounded like the gentlest whisper, slowly raising a hand to her neck.

"But I —" Ariel stuttered in disbelief. "My voice? But I would never be able to speak to Eric at all. How could you possibly ask for something like that!"

Ursula rolled her eyes, scoffing in irritation, "Look, honey, I haven't got all day. Either trade your voice to me or you will never see your precious prince ever again. Your voice is the price."

Ariel sighed. The thought of never seeing Eric again felt like being stabbed with the sharpest, serrated knife. It was all too much for her to bear.

Refusing defeat, Ursula quickly swam towards the floor of the cave to her cauldron, and slowly placed a small piece of wood she had taken from the shipwreck into the fire. The vision that Ariel had seen on the mirror immediately resurfaced in her mind, overwhelming her with perseverance from yet another spell.

"Very well," the little mermaid said.

Ursula smiled victoriously as she made her way over to the purple shelves on the wall resembling a large clam. After retrieving a small golden parchment and a pen in the shape of a fish skeleton, she returned to the little mermaid.

"You will need to sign this."


	2. Chapter 2

Once the golden contract was signed, an ancient spell was established from the sea witch's deep ruby lips. Ariel suddenly found her surroundings confined as a bright emerald twister came closer to her from the darkness, revolving endlessly around her.

The nascence of a glowing green hand slowly emerged from the distance, escalating in height as it grew nearer.

"Now," Ursula said. "Sing."

Ariel did as she was told, desperately trying to fight off every bit of fear circulating through her mind. As she sang, the radiance of her voice was the only remaining sound left to be heard as it echoed throughout the cavern.

Whispering an unspoken arrangement on the gold glowing contract in a chant, Ursula cackled in triumph and wickedly smiled to herself.

The last remaining moments came very soon for Ariel as she neared the end of the song. Blinking back tears in fear that she would soon die, the bright emerald green hand came closer, making its way through her crimson lips and slithering down her throat until it finally reached what it desired. Her vocal cords were both violently slashed from their original places, leaving behind few small remaining crystal teardrops of blood.

Ariel could no longer hold anything back as countless tears dispersed from her blue eyes, scurrying down her pale cheeks as the agony only grew stronger. She raised her hands to her neck in disbelief, knowing that she would never speak again.

Once her voice completely faded away, making its way through a small nautilus seashell, she found herself imprisoned in a golden orb — followed by the silver rays of smoke that thundered from the bottom of the cave.

Only a few mere moments were savored before the little mermaid found herself in the worst kind of pain she could have ever imagined.

The emerald green scales on her tail slowly burst with various bubbles of garnet-red blood as the transformation began. Each of her bones were painfully broken the moment her tail started to split in two, only adding more agony to the pain she had already endured.

High up above the surface, Eric sat quietly on the sand, looking out at the deep, sapphire ocean waves in front of him, heartbroken in knowing that there was a possibility he would never see the girl who saved him ever again.

"Where could she have gone?"

Ariel tried so hard to scream deep down in the ocean as her green tail was slowly and painfully lacerated. She firmly shut her sky blue eyes closed in desperation as the serration continued, screaming internally and frantically hoping that she wouldn't die.

In place of Ariel's vibrant emerald tail soon shown the nascency of two dainty long beautiful legs. The transformation was finally over.

Ursula smiled, ' _there's no going back now_.'

The rush of the ocean currents surrounding Ariel soon flooded furiously through her lungs as the sudden pressures of the extreme depths below began to reveal its compatibility with a human.

' _I'm going to die_ ,' Ariel thought regretfully. '... _I'm gonna die_.'

The little mermaid instantly lost the ability to swim, repeatedly thrashing her new legs all around in a constant fear of drowning. She remembered Eric as she continued to struggle far down beneath the surface, and she knew that no matter what, she would never live to see him again now.

' _What have I done_?' She thought, so close to tears again but unable to cry.

The light silvery-colored sea witch cackled as her red lips dispersed a malicious smile, watching the little mermaid struggle in knowing that she would soon drown.

' _Perhaps this will be so much easier than I thought_!'

Ariel wasn't about to give up as she continued to fight the currents, but in that moment, Ursula finally admitted to herself that she would never live to reach the surface and fulfill her desires of making her queen in the way that she wanted.

' _No_ ,' Ursula thought. ' _She can't die now_. _Not yet_.'

In a single act of kindness, the vile sea witch hurriedly chanted a small simple spell, casting Ariel towards the surface and commanding a powerful wave to lead her to shore.


	3. Chapter 3

The little mermaid lay bare and motionless underneath the bright sapphire sky, the stars up above shimmering like rare pearls.

A sudden fair breeze slowly drifted alongside her pale skin, caressing the reflected moonlit rays in the sky with an icy kiss.

Nearby, Prince Eric stood on his balcony, thinking only of the little mermaid.

After quietly ending the soft melody of the song Ariel had sang to him on his flute, he looked down at the ocean waves below, admiring the shimmering reflection of the moon on the water.

' _That voice_ ,' he thought, lowering the silver instrument in his hands to his side. ' _I can't get it out of my head. I looked everywhere — where could she be_?'

Eric sighed. It seemed clear to him now that he _would_ be marrying Princess Amaryllis.

And as he looked down at the small auburn rocks surrounding his castle with a loss of hope, his eyes caught a sudden glimpse of a girl with bright red hair and snow-white pale skin — the same features of the girl who saved him.

With a sudden spark of adrenaline, he hurriedly ran from his chambers and fled down the palace steps with such determined speed.

* * *

Ariel shifted slightly on the sand as Eric fell to his knees beside her, panting with exhaustion. Without a hesitant thought, he quickly took off his dark blue cape and carefully wrapped it around her.

Her lips were blue, frozen cold by the severe reticence of the midnight air. She was nearing death faster and faster as a bright light surfaced in her mind, but fighting with all the strength she had left to hold on just a little while longer.

"It's her," he breathed in amazement, holding her protectively against his chest with his head gently resting upon hers.

"You're the one," he whispered.

Around them both, small traces of blood deeply embedded the dark, coarse sand — one last remaining reminder to Ariel that the transformation had been real.

Noticing this, Eric held her even closer to him in shock, refusing to ever let her go in fear that finally seeing her again after so long was only a dream.

"Who could've done this?" He whispered to himself with a hint of anger as he looked upon her injuries. Small scratches on her legs became apparent, and the red crimson marks set deeply in the skin of her neck filled him with a severe hatred.

Behind them both, Eric's manservant, Grimsby, and a young female servant named Carlotta promptly came running down the palace steps, struggling to cover the distance the prince had traveled.

"Oh, Eric. You really delight in these sadistic strains on my blood pressure, don't you?" Grim laughed as he grew near.

But as he came even closer to the prince, he noticed the young girl held carefully in his arms. Grimacing at the sight of her, he had the strongest feeling that the alliance between Denmark and Norway could now very well be broken.

"Good heavens!" The young servant gasped, coming out from behind Grimsby and raising a hand to her mouth in alarm. "What on earth happened?"

She fell down to her knees next to the prince, brushing back a strand of her dark hair before placing a warm, sympathetic hand on Ariel's cheek in concern.

The little mermaid's face looked upon the midnight sky, her skin covered with the dark blue, silky cape. And her hair lay dangling from the prince's arm, sprawled out across the dry sand.

Her breath suddenly started to slow down even more as she gradually fell into a deep sleep.

"I found her here, Carlotta," Eric replied to the maid, looking worriedly at Ariel. "I really wish I knew what could've happened to her."

Carlotta's face softened as her heartbeat began to slow down. Up until she saw the little mermaid's wounds. The maid looked on in horror at the many scrapes and cuts on Ariel's legs, fairly deep but capable of healing. Tears filled her eyes as she could only imagine what had happened to the young girl.

"Let's take her back with us to the castle, your grace," Carlotta said as few tears spilled silently from her eyes in great sorrow for Ariel. "I will help the doctor tend to her wounds. It's been a very long day, your highness, and you need plenty of rest."

Eric nodded in agreement, rising up off of the sand with Ariel held tightly in his arms. An endless river of blood still flowed from her cuts, slowly falling onto the sand below.

The prince began the long walk back to the palace.

"I've found you at last," He whispered to the little mermaid, placing a hand on her cheek and softly kissing her forehead as he continued home.

Grim stood still as he watched them leave, remaining quietly on the sand with a satisfying smirk on his face, "Soon she'll be gone."

Deep in his old frail hands lay a small letter with a blue seal from the Emerald Palace. Princess Amaryllis would be arriving in three days.


	4. Chapter 4

Ariel awoke two nights later with a searing pain in her legs and neck. She was wearing a pink nightgown embedded with small diamond-like crystals and a delicate strand of white lace across the hem.

'What happened,' she thought to herself, confused as she opened her eyes.

Looking all around, she immediately sat up in shock, wondering where she was. Her bright blue eyes widened in alarm the moment she glanced around the room.

She heard the ocean nearby, and a gentle song melting into the currents of the wind from a small, distant instrument. She immediately knew where she was.

'Eric,' she smiled.

* * *

Eric heard a fairly loud knock on his door as he stood quiet and still on his balcony, thinking of no other than the little mermaid.

'She's never going to wake up, is she?'

"Forgive me, your highness," a royal guard interrupted, slowly opening his bedroom door. "Sir Grimsby would like a word with you."

"Very well," Eric said solemnly before leaving the room.

The escort was quiet as the sentry continued to lead him down through the many halls and rooms of the palace. The only sound left to be heard was the wind rushing in from the few open windows they passed by.

"Right this way, your grace," the royal guard spoke as he and the prince turned down a dark, narrow hallway.

Within a few moments, the guard quickly opened the near-black scarlet door by the far end of the hall, holding it open for the prince as he walked in.

* * *

Eric heard the prickling sounds of many flames nearby, desperately eating away at the wood in the fireplace.

He saw Grimsby sitting very silent by the fire, small puffs of silvery smoke floating through the air from his pipe.

"You wanted to see me, Grim?"

His manservant sighed in exhaustion, lowering his pipe, "She can't stay here any longer, Eric."

A sudden spark of anger immediately lit up inside of the prince.

"...What?" He responded darkly.

"Oh Eric, be reasonable! Look at her!"

"Grim, she's not going anywhere! I've finally found her! This is the girl I said I would marry and I will."

A smug smile formed upon Grim's face, "You cannot marry her, Eric. Princess Amaryllis will be here tomorrow at sunset, and she is who you will marry!"

"No, I will not marry her—wait...what? That's impossible! The last time I was informed it was said that she wouldn't be arriving for many weeks!"

Grim took another slow shot from his pipe, blowing streaks of smoke through the air before finally standing up from his seat and walking calmly over to his desk.

He soon returned, standing in front of the prince with the envelope marked with the blue seal from the Emerald Palace, and held it out to him.

Taking it from his hands, Eric carefully read the letter inside. His heart began shattering more and more with each and every word he looked upon; It seemed as if he was hearing it break inside of him.

And with a sudden twist of an unimaginable anger, he threw the envelope into the fireplace and quickly ran from the room, slamming the door behind him.

Still standing quietly in the room, Grim said nothing as he walked back to his seat and watched the letter slowly burn — he only smiled.

* * *

'Hmm,' Ariel hummed, listening to the ocean nearby and smiling as two nightingales sang in the small trees to the left of her balcony. 'I can't believe I actually made it.'

Ariel giggled to herself happily.

'Wait...' she thought, suddenly remembering the transformation.

She sat up in her bed, her blue eyes filling with an elated gleam as she removed the velvet comforter from around her.

'Oh my gosh!' Ariel stared down at her new legs in wonder, ignoring the freshly coated bandages as tears of extreme joy fell from her eyes. 'Has anyone ever seen anything so wonderful in their entire life!'

Squealing internally with excitement, the little mermaid leaned her legs over the side of the bed and slowly placed her feet on the cold floor.

A few mere moments passed before she attempted to stand, smiling so bright.

Stumbling on the first try, she took another step.

A sudden searing pain immediately channeled through her feet, and she was instantly thrown to the floor.

'Wait,' Ariel thought as she touched her left leg in confusion. 'What's happening?'

She tried standing again but was only faced with the same exact pain.

'I don't understand.'

Briefly pondering everything for a few moments, she ultimately remembered what the sea witch had told her: "Once you are human, every single step that you take on land will make you feel as if you are walking on broken glass."

Rejecting the fear of it all, she attempted to walk again. And again. And again.

An hour went by before she ultimately learned to ignore the pain in her legs and feet — still slipping from time to time and occasionally falling to the floor from the pain, but finally able to stand.

Smiling to herself in triumph, she walked over to her balcony and opened the doors, stepping out onto the cold pavement and looking down at the majestic ocean waves below her.

* * *

Prince Eric continually paced back and forth outside of his bedroom doors, a hand on the back of his neck in frustration.

Remembering the words on the letter, he took out his small silver flute from his pocket and stared down at the intricate details.

"I can't ever be with her."

With a rush of anger, he wrapped his hand tightly around the flute, quickly walking to the nearest window and watched the instrument fall as he threw it down among the black ocean waves.

Hearing a small sound, Ariel immediately ran from her balcony out of curiosity, struggling with each step she took, and falling before finally reaching the door.

Scrambling back up to her feet, the little mermaid took one last look in the mirror to her right, ruffling her hair in a perfect manner.

And after a few vanishing moments, she placed a small, gentle hand on the door, twisting the handle and eagerly leaving her palace room.

'Eric...' She thought, smiling with tears the moment she caught a fleeting glimpse of him just a few ways away down the dark hallway.


End file.
